The present invention relates to devices for displaying ornamental objects, more particularly such a device having an improved structure for supporting the ornamental display.
Decorative display devices having one or more decorative objects supported on a decorative display base are well known. Such display devices may enclose the decorative object with a transparent housing filled with water or other liquid, which may have particles of material suspended therein in order to improve the aesthetic effects of the device.
Display devices of this type generally include a spherical housing formed of glass or transparent plastic material which has a bottom facing opening defined by an outwardly extending neck portion which permits the housing to be filled with the liquid and the decorative object to be displayed. The bottom opening is sealed with a liquid tight gasket, which may be frictionally or threadedly engaged with the neck portion. This assembly is then placed on a pedestal-type base which is generally formed of wood or plastic material.
These prior art devices have typically been assembled using adhesive to bond the transparent housing/gasket assembly to the wood or plastic base. Unless the quantity of adhesive is carefully controlled and carefully applied, it will mar the exterior surface of the base resulting in a product with an unacceptable appearance. Also, the use of adhesives has limited the materials from which the base may be fabricated to materials which will bond with the adhesive. This has, in the past, prohibited the use of glass bases for decorative article display devices, since the adhesive will not adequately bond to the smooth, impervious surface of glass.
The use of glass material to form the base of the decorative display object results in such an object having an improved aesthetic appearance over the prior art devices.